Winning a Stanley Cup comes with a whirlwind of emotions but what happens when all the hoopla ends and your respective team informs you that you have to test the market?
That’s such the case for new Washington Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper who just won a Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. He not only won it but backstopped them the entire way.
Kuemper signed on with the Caps for five years with an average annual value of $5.25 million. Then the Caps added Charlie Lindgren to back him up and then went shopping for defensemen and forwards. But the Caps took care of their goaltending problem in a swift manner.
General Manager Brian MacLellan told the media:
"“I think it was the goal going into free agency that we wanted to change our goaltending, and we accomplished it. I feel good about both guys we’ve gotten and I look forward to the season with both of them in net.”"
The 32 year old net minder posted a .921 save percentage and a 2.54 goals against average in what was his 10th NHL season. Believe it or not it was his only season with the Avalanche as he previously played on some bad Arizona Coyotes teams.
Kuemper said what enticed him to sign in the middle of all the rumors was the way the roster is constructed:
"“I just really liked the roster. Obviously, it’s a team that’s won before and it’s a veteran group that knows how to win. That’s what I was looking for: another chance to go win. I think this is a place where we can do that.”"
Kuemper came to the Caps because he believed they knew how to win. They knew how to win in 2018. But that’s still something. The fact they brought in a recent Cup winner can help rekindle that team chemistry that they had in 2017-18.
The defense is set. The goalies are set. Now they got to finalize their forward options and their are big decisions to come being over six million over the cap.